In order to link together two optical cables of the type known as "tape" or "ribbon" cables and which include a plurality of optical fibers arranged in parallel and secured together by a single coating made of plastic material, it is necessary to arrange each optical fiber of one of the cables in alignment with the corresponding fiber of the other cable in order to allow the light passage from one fiber to another, thereby minimizing the dispersion and the attenuation of the transmitted signal caused by misalignment defects of the fibers.
To obtain this alignment, simultaneously, for all the fibers in the tape or ribbon, the end of the tape is inserted in a rigid body, called a connector, which maintains the fibers in a geometrically fixed position. A pair of connectors, secured to the respective ends of tapes, the fibers of which are to be optically joined, are therefore arranged and kept in a faced and aligned position, so that the respective fibers can be correctly arranged in order to form the optical connection.
Connectors of the kind described are known. Each of them comprises a pair of small plates having several grooves, and in these grooves, the fibers are housed, and other grooves receive aligning means. The small plates are held together by means of resilient clips or adhesive, and the pair of small plates, fixed at the end of respective cables, is contained in an outer envelope which comprises axial tightening means for the pair of small plates for carrying out the optical connection between the fibers.
Alternatively, the small plates, secured to the end of a cable, are inserted in an envelope, to form a connector linkable, by axial tightening means, with a similar connector of a second cable.
Connectors comprising monolithic elements made of plastic material or similar materials are also known These elements have holes in which the fibers of a tape can be housed, and in turn, said elements also have to be housed in outer envelopes and tightened by resilient clips or by similar means for the optical coupling.
The connector of the known embodiments is formed by a large number of components and the application of the connector to an optical fiber tape, which can be carried out in the field during the installation or the servicing of optical fiber tape, is therefore very complex, due to the brittleness of the fibers and the required precision for the optical coupling.
Connecting groups carried out according to the known embodiments, are also very encumbering, both in the axial and in the transverse direction, and often they need the use of additional elements which further increase the complexity and the encumbrance of the connection.